A local miniature golf course will cut back on its usual bells and whistles to welcome those who may not be comfortable in an unpredictable environment for “low-sensory night.”
Dr. Matt Tolliver, owner of Cryptid Mountain Mini Golf at 950 Parkway Drive in Morgantown, said after working as a school counselor for 13 years, he knew there was a need for fun activities for individuals who have sensory sensitivities, such as those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who are sensitive to things like noise, colors and sounds.
“As a school counselor, I worked with everybody,” Tolliver said. “One of my favorite things was going into a Pre-K special needs class — primarily students with autism. I loved going in there. It was chaos sometimes, but I loved it.
“Whether they’re 3 or 30 … I think it’s important to provide those opportunities of things to do and I know it’s a challenge for families to find opportunities as well,” he said.
Recognizing the need for this type of event, Cryptid Mountain hosted its first low-sensory night on Oct. 12 and will host another on Oct. 19.
Tolliver said while they were not as busy as they normally are during the first event, he was happy to provide the opportunity.
“I’m not doing it to make money,” he said. “I am doing it to offer it to families and folks like that who really need something like this.”
During normal hours, Cryptid Mountain is designed to be an immersive experience into West Virginia-based folklore and cryptids — creatures whose existence is unproven. Tolliver said he was passionate about making the theme West Virginia-specific.
The journey through the 13-hole course is based on reported sightings and news reports surrounding stories of the unexplained and the paranormal. At the end of the course is a map of West Virginia set up like a “detective board” with yarn and string tying the articles together.
Tolliver said the stories date all the way back to the 1827 “Wildman” that may or may not have been a bigfoot.
Of course, cryptid fan favorites like the Flatwoods Monster of the 1950s and the Mothman of the 1960s are included in the theme, as well as lesser-known stories of West Virginia like the Cheat River Monster of 1893.
With the exception of low-sensory nights, the course is black-light reactive — meaning the clubs and balls glow in the dark.
For Halloween, Tolliver said they have added a fog machine and flashing lights.
The course is equipped with state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment and while playing you will see projection-mapping of things like a moon with lightning behind it and a UFO sucking up things like cows and trucks, and even Mothman, at one point.
On the low-sensory nights, the course will replace the normal black lights with white lights, cut out all of the normal background noise and sounds and give players the choice to use foam balls.
Cryptid Mountain is open Thursdays and Fridays from 5-10 p.m. and 2-10 p.m. on weekends.
Tolliver said for a group of four, the maximum allowed per hole, it takes an average of five minutes per hole and a new group can begin every three to four minutes.
The cost is $12 for adults with discounts for first responders and $10 for kids 9 and under and can be purchased at the door — no need to call ahead.
Above all, Tolliver said, he wants to keep the course a fun, family-friendly atmosphere and has no plans of selling things like alcohol, despite being asked about it often.
While the first low-sensory event wasn’t as busy as he hoped, Tolliver said he would like to host similar events in the future — possibly on a monthly basis — but did not have any definitive plans in place past this week.
For more information about Cryptid Mountain Mini Golf, visit cryptidmountainminigolf.com.
